Sunday, May 29, 2016

It's been awhile (again) since my last post. Things have been a bit crazy around here lately. It's almost time for our VBS program at church and I'm helping build the set and decorate for our "Deep Sea Discovery" program. Think lots of fish, shells, coral, waves, ropes, nets, etc. The big day is next Saturday, June 4th, and I'm hoping we will be ready!

So, I needed a break from the ocean stuff and pulled out a few things from my last My Favorite Things order. They have been sitting on my work island for weeks just whispering my name and I just could not resist any longer! Take a look at these cuties from the Magical Unicorns set:

I created my card base by watercoloring with Distress Inks and spritzing on a little Gold Color Shine. The sweet images are colored with Copic Markers. I added a bit of shimmer with some Clear Wink of Stella Glitter.

Next comes, the fun part... I used the new MFT Surf & Turf Die-Namics to turn my card into an interactive card! You can see how the unicorn flies up to the castle in the next 3 photos:

Sunday, May 22, 2016

It's a bright, sunny day here in Southeast Alabama and I'm pretty sure summer has arrived with it's hot, muggy days and sudden, fierce thunderstorms that come and go in a matter of minutes. I really enjoy this time of year (as long as my AC is in working order). The water in our pool is almost warm enough for me to start inflating pool floats and stocking up on summer reading material. After all, that's what I use my swimming pool for - reading and floating (and, of course, day dreaming).

Anyway, I guess all these summer time thoughts sort of inspired today's card which was created with fun things from several of my favorite stamping companies. I started out with one idea in my head and ended up with something totally different. But, I'm really liking this cute little shaker card:

Here are a few items I used to create my card:

* Stitched Horizontal Cover Up Companion by My Favorite Things

* Pool Play Stamp Set by Simon Says Stamp

* Happy Day Stamp Set by Simon Says Stamp

* Bring the Sunshine Stamp and Die Set by Simon Says Stamp

* Life is Good Stamp Set by Lawn Fawn

* So Jelly Stamp Set by Lawn Fawn

The images are all colored with Copic Markers. I added some Clear Wink of Stella for a little sparkle to the sunshine and sand castle. I also added Glossy Accents to the froggie float and diving goggles.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Thanks for stopping by today. It's been almost a week since my last post and it feels good to have found a little time for getting inky. It's just been "one of those weeks".

I didn't have a lot of time on my hands to play, but was beginning to have stamp/ink/watercolor withdrawal symptoms! So, I pulled out of my pre-printed panels from the Suzy's Watercolor Every Occasion set and my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers and had a good ole painting this fun, happy panel....

After painting everything, I added a few doodles with a white gel pen and some clear Wink of Stella glitter. I also added a few splatters of the dark aqua color here and there.

A few enamel dots finished up the embellishing and I layered the panel onto an orange mat before adhering it to a bright yellow cardbase. And, all done! I ♥ these panels!

Friday, May 13, 2016

I found myself with some time to play today (don't ya just love when that happens?). So, I pulled out some cute images from My Favorite Things, some bright, happy Copic Markers, and spent the morning coloring to my heart's content ♥

The background was created with Distress Inks in the following colors:

* Twisted Citron

* Mowed Lawn

* Peacock Feathers

* Mermaid Lagoon

The images and sentiments are from the following stamp sets by My Favorite Things:

* Tweet Friends

* I'm Tweet On You

* Rainbow Greetings

And, here's the inside.

I've been slowly adding cards to my Etsy Shop and this one will be listed soon. If you haven't visited my Shop, I would love for you to pop by when you have a chance. You can view my shop by clicking here or the button on my sidebar.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

I have a quick and easy card to share with you today. I recently purchased a set of pre-printed watercolor panels designed by Suzy Plantamura and sold at Simon Says Stamp. The set has 12 different designs and sells for about 10 dollars. They are printed on heavy watercolor paper and are perfect for those times when you just don't feel like stamping or need a card in a hurry.

Whoa...feels a bit like I'm doing a commercial for them, doesn't it? I promise..no compensation is coming my way, I just really like the designs, convenience and price of these cuties! Anyway, let's get onto the card I created....

The design and sentiment were already printed on the watercolor paper. I used Distress Inks to paint the flowers and background. After the panel was dry, I used the Wonky Stitched Rectangle Dies by My Favorite Things to trim the panel.

I splattered on some Heidi Swapp Gold Color Shine and added a few enamel dots to the centers of some of the flowers.

I used the beautiful Prayers stamp set by Simon Says Stamp for the inside of my card.

The watercolor panel was layered onto a gold glitter mat and then onto a purple cardbase.

Sunday, May 8, 2016

I almost let today get past me without sharing the Mother's Day card I created for my Mama....

These lovely flowers are from the "Sketch Ranunculus" stamp set by Simon Says Stamp. The flowers and background are watercolored with Distress Inks.

After the watercolors were dry, I scattered a few drops of Gold Color Shine for some sparkle. I used an old stamp set by Peachy Keen Stamps for the sentiment. This pretty script looks even prettier when heat embossed in gold.

I added a few iridescent sequins and mounted my finished panel to a cardbase covered in gold, glittery cardstock. I love the way this one turned out - just the right amount of sparkle!

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Happy Wednesday to you! It's time for another Sketch Challenge over at Paper Play Sketches. Janis has created yet another beautiful sketch for us to play along with this week. I really enjoyed using this sketch along with some cute images from Your Next Stamp...

This sweet little Fairy Godmother is from the "Little Darling Fairy Godmother" stamp set created by Your Next Stamp.

I colored the image with Copic Markers and added some sparkle with a Clear Wink of Stella Glitter Marker. The gold dots on her hat were added with a Metallic Gelly Roll Pen.

I completed the inside of my card with the pumpkin carriage image. This image is also colored with Copic Markers. I also used a bit of Gold Stickles for some sparkle.

To complete my card, I added a few gold, star shaped sequins to add that "magical touch".

And, that finishes up my card!

I'll leave you with a photo of the current sketch and I hope you will play along with our challenge. Be sure to stop by the Paper Play Sketches Blog to see what the other Designers have created for your inspiration! Have a great day and I'll see you soon!

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Thanks for stopping in for a visit. Today is kind of a special day around my house. This day marks 36 years of wedded chaos bliss for me and the hubby! I'm not sure how 36 years went by in the blink of an eye...but, they did. I wouldn't trade a single day of those years, not even the not-so-great days (cause let's face it...in 36 years there are bound to be a few not-so-great days). With each anniversary I grow to love this guy more and more and I look forward to many more years together.

Okay, now that you listened to me get all sappy, let's get on with the anniversary card, shall we? I'm not great with "guy cards". They always seem to stump me even when they are for someone in my own family. So, I remembered seeing some cards that were stamped and colored on Kraft paper and they seemed a bit more on the masculine side to me. And...that's what I went with....

I'm pretty happy with the way this turned out and plan on trying this technique again in the near future. I had to remind myself to wait a little longer between adding colors to the image. I found that it took the Copic Ink a little longer to settle into the true color it would become on this Kraft paper. Definitely harder to blend and harder to judge your final color.

The images are from the stamp set "Sweet Succulents" by My Favorite Things.